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Behavioural and Psychological Therapies
Psychological theories help explain why smoking becomes such a strong habit.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Identifies the thought patterns, triggers, and situations that lead to smoking and builds strategies to manage them.
Hypnotherapy
Aims to put you into a relaxed, suggestible state where the therapist reinforces the desire to quit and associates smoking with positive and negative sensations.
Your smoking habit is a subconscious behaviour that is deeply rooted in the erroneous belief that smoking brings pleasure. Nicotine is a stimulant, yet you have been made to think it’s relaxing. The truth is that cigarettes do not help relieve any stress other than that which is caused by a nicotine craving.
Reframe and de-hypnotise yourself from smoking. Just as the power of your own mind programmed you into becoming a smoker, it has the power to change your mindset to become a non-smoker.
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
NLP can help people who struggle with the psychological side of quitting — stress relief, routines, and automatic habits.
Why do smokers find it so hard to quit?
Smokers continue to smoke because of a combination of biological addiction, psychological dependence and habit, and social reinforcement. Some smoke to cope with stress, believing it helps them relax.
Conditioning Theory: Smoking is also reinforced by habit and ritual. The act of smoking can provide a structured break or a moment of pause in daily life, making it psychologically rewarding.
Smokers often bond with others who smoke, creating a sense of belonging and camaraderie. These social and habitual reinforcements make quitting more difficult.
Stress and Coping Theory: The temporary nicotine buzz provides relief during stress. Many smokers believe cigarettes reduce stress, but nicotine actually activates the body’s stress systems, raising heart rate and cortisol levels. The perceived relaxation is largely the relief of withdrawal symptoms, creating a paradox where smoking both causes and temporarily alleviates stress.
There are so many incentives to stop smoking; Health, money, family and more.
Most smokers want to stop but when it comes to making that decision, emotions and an addictive mindset can get in the way. It’s all too easy to find an excuse and put it off. This can go on for years.
Hypnotherapy is a clinically proven method which helps to undo the years of daily positive associations with smoking. It helps to reduce future psychological cravings for cigarettes.
For most smokers, the addiction is about 80% mental and 20% physical. Studies show that the ratio varies with each individual. The physical portion of the addiction is to nicotine. As to the mental or psychological aspect, a smoker’s conscious mind says, ‘I will stop smoking — no problem.’ But the unconscious mind has been conditioned for years that cigarettes give pleasure, and that’s all it can focus on. The unconscious mind says, ‘Gimmie a cigarette — now!’ It only recognizes what feels good. It demands a cigarette, without regard to right or wrong, and ignores the conscious mind’s intentions.
The smoker’s unconscious mind also makes repeated pleasant associations with the act of smoking — watching the smoke slowly curling, putting a cigarette to the lips, languidly inhaling and exhaling, absently handling a cigarette — all these are very much a part of the psychological addiction to tobacco. Quitters often feel as though they are losing a best friend.
During the process of quitting, the new habit of being a non-smoker forms. The ex-smoker’s unconscious mind gradually gets used to being a non-smoker, as the urges to smoke slowly fade away.
